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Automatic Shift Proposals: A Step Towards AI-Powered Restaurant Management

Planning shifts in the hospitality sector is often a complex task. Who works when? Who has which qualifications? How can labour costs be optimised without compromising service quality? Manually created schedules are prone to errors and time-consuming – and particularly in dynamic industries like hospitality, a flexible, data-driven shift planning can provide significant advantages.

Modern systems therefore use automatic shift proposals to facilitate the planning process. These are based on fixed rules, historical data and – increasingly – artificial intelligence (AI). The idea: The system automatically suggests the best possible shifts, while the manager only needs to review and adjust.

How do automatic shift proposals work?

Digital shift planning systems utilise various data sources to assign shifts optimally:

• Employee availability: Who can work on which day?

• Qualifications: Which employees are suitable for specific positions?

• Working time regulations: Maximum hours per week, rest periods, legal requirements

• Labour costs: Real-time calculation of wage costs

• Operational needs: Forecasts based on sales, bookings or weather data

Based on these parameters, the system generates suggestions for schedules – either as fully drawn up plans or as support for managers. In some systems, shift proposals can be adjusted via drag & drop before they are finalised.

What benefits does AI-supported shift planning bring?

1. Time savings and fewer errors

Traditional shift planning can take hours – especially when last-minute changes arise. Automatic proposals significantly reduce planning effort. Instead of assigning each shift manually, often only a click is needed to obtain an optimised plan. Moreover, intelligent systems reduce errors like double bookings or violations of working time laws.

2. Higher employee satisfaction

Employees desire flexibility – yet availability is often overlooked or shift requests go unnoticed. Modern systems automatically consider preferences and availability, resulting in less dissatisfaction or last-minute cancellations.

3. Better cost control

Labour costs are one of the biggest cost factors in hospitality. AI-supported planning can help optimise labour costs, for example, by avoiding expensive overtime or assigning shifts in line with expected guest numbers.

4. Adaptability to unexpected changes

Spontaneous sick calls or unexpectedly high guest numbers? Intelligent shift planners can quickly suggest alternative cover, ensuring the restaurant runs smoothly.

Sundae OS: Automatic Shift Planning for Hospitality

An intelligent shift planning system only works with the right tools. Sundae OS offers an automated shift proposal function that helps restaurateurs efficiently meet their staffing needs. The system uses:

• Employee availability & qualifications to suggest suitable individuals

• Shift repetitions & patterns to quickly generate recurring plans

• Live labour cost calculation to avoid budget overruns 

• Shift swap options so that employees can flexibly adjust their shifts

With these features, shift planning becomes not only faster but also more transparent and flexible – a crucial step towards AI-powered restaurant management.

Conclusion: Automatic shift planning is the future

Manual shift planning takes time and is prone to errors. Digital systems with automatic shift proposals help to schedule the right number of employees at the right time – considering costs, availability and operational needs.

With the increasing use of AI and machine learning, shift planning will become even smarter in the future: systems could automatically create forecasts of guest attendance, optimise individual shift patterns and even proactively make shift requests. Therefore, hospitality businesses that today embrace digital shift planning are laying the groundwork for more efficient and future-proof personnel management.